Here’s What Could Be a Sign of Future Cognitive Decline

Feeling as if you’re wandering aimlessly through life or like you’ve done all there is to do may carry harms more serious than unfulfilling days — it could be hurting your brain.

People who developed mild cognitive impairment had lower levels of purpose in life and of personal growth starting three and six years, respectively, before their diagnosis, compared with participants who remained cognitively intact, according to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. Mild cognitive impairment, in which a person goes through an early stage of loss of memory or other cognitive abilities but still maintains the ability to independently do most activities of daily living, is often a precursor to dementia.

The study “is a strong test of the changes in psychological well-being that may occur during the earliest stages of the development of cognitive impairment,” said Dr. Angelina Sutin, professor of behavioral sciences and social medicine at the Florida State University College of Medicine, via email. Sutin wasn’t involved in the study.

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